Tom Brady Leaves Door Open For Next White House Visit

New England Patriots quarterback — and Super Bowl MVP — Tom Brady is skipping the honorary visit to the White House, where the President customarily honors the NFL champs. Brady said he was skipping the visit for personal reasons, setting off speculation that Brady doesn’t want to be seen as espousing Donald Trump’s political agenda. (Background: Trump and Patriots owner Robert Kraft are good friends, and Brady has also had a friendly relationship with Trump, who has been a frequent presence in the Patriots locker room over the years.)

But Brady’s statement (published at NFL.com) about skipping the White House visit is hard to interpret as a political gesture. Especially if you do the math. Brady wrote that “Hopefully, if we accomplish the goal of winning a championship in the future years, we will back on the South Lawn again soon.” Trump will be in the White House to host the next three Super Bowl champs and Brady is 39. Brady is clearly planning on playing a few more years, but his window to win Super Bowls may not extend past age 42. (No QB has won a Super Bowl in his 40s.) So the math says Brady would like to visit the president on the South Lawn sometime in the very near future — and in that near future the president will be Donald Trump.

Brady’s statement, in part: “Thank you to the President for hosting this honorary celebration and for supporting our team for as long as I can remember. In light of some recent developments, I am unable to attend today’s ceremony, as I am attending to some personal family matters. Hopefully, if we accomplish the goal of winning a championship in the future years, we will back on the South Lawn again soon. Have a great day!”